U.S. lawmakers look into several marijuana amendments for annual budget

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules is currently hearing a number of amendments that could determine the future of law, business, and research related to marijuana.

The committee on Wednesday considered several pot amendments to the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2018, an annual budget set for congressional approval later in September, reports the Cannabist.

The amendment formerly known as Rohrabacher-Blumenauer tops the list, which prohibits the Justice Department from using any federal funds to interfere with state-legal medical marijuana regulations.

The amendment has been in effect throughout previous years, although its future inclusion was recently questioned by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a letter to congressmen earlier this year.

The amendment’s co-author Rep. Dan Rohrabacher wrote an editorial in the Washington Post earlier this week to urge fellow Republicans to renew the budget provision, before addressing his colleagues on Tuesday.

“To deny (members of Congress) the right to have a vote, I think, is unconscionable,” Rohrabacher said in a testimony to the Rules Committee.

Amendment co-sponsor Earl Blumenauer (D-Or) noted that the protections are existing law, and that public opinion favors medical marijuana programs legal throughout several states.

“It would be a tragic mistake to lose the progress that we made,” Blumenauer told the committee.

Other amendments include banning federal interference from medical cannabis research, as well as altering bank regulations for legal businesses.

Watch the committee hearing below.

Smell The Truth is one of the internet’s most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by SFGate or the San Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content.

Smell The Truth

Smell The Truth is one of the internet's most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by SFGate or the San Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content.